


Worship False Idols

by Icybin (Frostglitch)



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Genderfluid Character, OC insert, OC just might fuck around and save everyone a la "Reader Kim" style, POV First Person, Self-Insert, this fic is very self indulgent
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-16
Updated: 2019-04-17
Packaged: 2020-01-14 23:38:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,201
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18486793
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Frostglitch/pseuds/Icybin
Summary: Finding myself in what appears to be an alternate reality where I and everyone I know doesn't exist is one thing. It's not fun, it's not easy, but I adapt, and try to live life as well as I can. Realizing I'm in the world ofa phone game I playedis something else entirely, and brings more questions than answers.But never mind the unending questions and unexplained circumstances. I have the information, the ability to do something, and a lingering attachment to this fiction-turned-reality.It's not hard to decide to try changing it for the better.





	1. Chapter 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note that the timeline here is (likely) going to be somewhat different. I’ve done what I can to keep consistency but if you’re like… a walking mysmes wikia then you’ll catch some continuity errors, bc the only routes I’m really using for ref are the twins’.

The first thing I noticed was the feeling of lying prone on a cold and hard surface.

My eyes opened and searing white gave way to a blue sky with the sounds of the city filling my ears. My hands clenched into fists, the rough concrete scraping my fingers.

“... What happened?” I murmured dully, sitting up and rubbing my palms to my eyes. I looked around and took in the unfamiliar sights of a park, and realized I was lying on the ground. It wasn’t an area I recognized, and as I tried to recall how I might’ve gotten there, I realized I didn’t have a clue.

That last thing I could remember was… not much, actually. There was work, and the commute, and trying to remember to eat meals… It was all monotonous and tended to blend together, really. It didn’t help the situation.

I looked around once more before standing, stretching my arms and legs through the slight stiffness. _Nothing to it, then,_ I thought, pulling out my phone. _I’ll just have to figure it out myself, maybe call someone to pick me up if I’m too far to walk._

I wouldn’t say I was used to it, but I’d been in situations similar enough before. It’d just been a while since it last occurred, and it generally hadn’t deviated from my usual path—it had been more of me being in the middle of doing something at home, and the next thing I knew, I was on the train waiting for my stop. The fact that I found myself in a completely unfamiliar area was worrying, but...

There was disorientation, and a feeling of something not-quite-right, but it was easy to shrug off. They were familiar. There was no point in panicking—I’d probably remember what I was last doing in a few minutes as my mind fully woke up, and I’d go home, maybe eat, and rest.

I frowned. _… Or work? What day is it today?_

I remembered the phone in my hand and hit the home button. It remained blank.

I held the power button, and—yeah, out of power.

_Well._

It wasn’t too difficult to track down a friendly face and ask for directions to the nearest pharmacy or electronics store. I was in and out and found myself at a coffee shop down the street as I waited for my phone to charge, thinking.

It was… possible that this was a prank. A rather mean-spirited one, in my opinion, and I didn’t think any of my friends that knew about my conditions would do this, but the possibility wasn’t completely off the table. I generally didn’t carry less than 20,000 won on me at a time, but my wallet was empty of any cash—I had to pay for the charger and USB power outlet with my card, which was unfortunate. I tried to keep my card’s usage for larger transactions or groceries. And again, the fact that I came to in an area completely unfamiliar to me was suspect.

It would make sense in a prank to leave me out here stranded without any cash and with a dead phone. It being an intentional part of a malicious joke made more sense than all three happening coincidentally at once. I couldn’t think of anyone who would find it funny enough to go through with it, though, and even the people I didn’t get along well with tended to avoid me in an unobtrusive manner rather than lash out, blatantly or otherwise.

So. Not _likely,_ but… always consider what’s possible, right.

After a few minutes my phone finally responded. It lagged a bit as it was still waking—ha, same—but I was still able to pull open the maps app without much difficulty.

I swore quietly under my breath.

 _What the fuck?_ I looked incredulously at my location, the dot a fair distance from home.

I definitely didn’t come out here on my own. I had no reason to travel out _over 100 kilometers_ away from work when on a good day I rarely traveled in a radius of _ten_ , and there were no friends or relatives living in this area. The likelihood of my situation being the result of some shitty prank increased dramatically.

I went through my phonebook in agitated silence and called the person I trusted the most. Whatever was going on, the first thing to do was get home. If it was a prank, someone would eventually own up to it. If it was something more extreme like a kidnapping, then I could at least ask around about what I was last doing before this happened, maybe even alert the police.

The call went to voicemail, and while I did feel disappointed, I wasn’t too surprised. I moved to my next contact.

A coworker this time, who I knew wasn’t working that day. But the call didn’t even go through—it was a dead number. The dial tone gave me pause but it wasn’t impossible that he had changed his number in the last couple weeks.

I moved down the list. Another friend, dead number. Aunt, no response. Coworker, cousin, uncle, old classmate—all dead numbers.

At some point the purpose of my calls shifted. I wasn’t calling for a ride anymore.

The first one that went through was my second cousin’s father, who in normal circumstances I would _not_ be addressing with anything near to relief. But it was still what I felt when the call actually got through. That relief was cut short when an unfamiliar woman’s voice answered.

Ten minutes in I had gone through my whole list of contacts and _no one_ answered.

What kind of prank was this? I didn’t know what to think.

A quick search gave me the local taxi service. It was an uncomfortably steep price for the trip, again paid with card, and I gave the driver the address after sliding into the passenger seat. The GPS had issues accepting the address for some reason so I pulled out my phone and showed him the street, pointing at the nearby landmarks.

I arrived at what should have been home. It was still an apartment but the building shared space with a restaurant, and the structure was unfamiliar.

“Is this a new building?” I asked, even though it clearly wasn’t. “Are you the owner? Do you recognize me?”

The landlady gave a dismissive wave to my questions. “If you aren’t here to rent, then leave.”

The corporate office wasn’t too far from home, only one stop on the subway and down the first street. I dashed out through the sliding doors, phone pressed tightly to my ear even as the ring seemed to continue endlessly. Not a dead number but it never connected.

It wasn’t the office building I knew. The area wasn’t even the towering business district I knew—this was a shopping mall lined with restaurants and cafes and tourist attractions. The tallest building was a four-storey firm with painted walls rather than sleek windows. If it weren’t for the obvious street signs, I’d think I was in the wrong place altogether.

My mind was at once a hazy fog and a sputtering machine running too fast for me to keep up.

I unlocked my phone to pull up the browser—not “safari” and “google” I noted, the display pages and images looked different, everything was _different_ —and typed in name after name, any with even slight notoriety that came to mind. Facebook wasn’t “Facebook,” Twitter wasn’t “Twitter,” and each search painted an increasingly grim picture in my mind.

Three hours since I came to found me sitting heavily on a park bench, mind trying desperately to compile the facts and coming up with nothing for a sensible answer.

I didn’t exist. It was the simplest and most obvious thing—all my friends, family, acquaintances I knew just _didn’t exist_ , and it didn’t end there. What was once my Twitter app was instead “Tripter,” famous celebrities were either nonexistent or, for lack of a better word, bootleg— _fuck,_ the prime minister was a man named “Saejoong Choi” even though I _knew_ that wasn’t the case—

The only thing that was somewhat reassuring was that these changes seemed to only span the last couple decades. Historical figures from a half a century ago, some less, were accurate down to the date, and I had searched enough to be relatively sure history itself had not changed. It’s only those from within the last twenty or so years—close to my birth year, ironically—that seemed to change.

It was like there was an invisible boundary separating these figures and the blatant _wrongness_ that seemed to have erased everything I knew was…

I took a breath, eyes feeling especially dry as I blinked at my phone. The top of my screen displayed a damning “No Service,” as it had for the past couple hours, even though I’d been able to access the internet and make calls. However unsuccessful said calls have been.

I didn’t exist. How did I still have service if I didn’t exist? I heard the ceaseless beep before fully registering the action, and I let the hand holding my phone fall back to my lap as I hung up. My service provider didn’t exist either, clearly, and even though I’d already checked earlier it was still a disappointment to hear the dead line anyway.

What did I expect? That maybe, just maybe, whatever it was that happened to me, I still had a connection to what was home?

And, of course, there was my card. I had realized that discrepancy a little after I had noticed my phone’s, and it was the same question. _How?_ If I didn’t exist, then my card, my account, shouldn’t exist, the company itself _didn’t_ exist, and yet a transaction had occurred with what was essentially nonexistent capital.

I stared hard at the screen of my phone as thoughts swirled restlessly in my head.

… I could spend all day debating the theories of the universe and come up with a lot that helped my situation exactly “not at all.” _Theorizing later,_ I decided, standing up. _Shelter, food, a source of income. I need to plan for the immediate for now._

My thoughts turned a little wry. How could I work sustainably without legal documentation? I mean I _had_ my legal documentation, but as far as “here” goes it wouldn’t be considered as such, because “I” didn’t exist.

Going the illegal route was an option, of course, but I was… hesitant to jump headlong into that. Mostly because the biggest crime I’d ever committed was theft and vandalism at a younger age, which had both the protection of being a minor and the lesser severity of the crimes in question.

I chewed the inside of my cheek in thought.

It would be all too easy to think of my credit card as a cash flow, and a limitless one at that. Even if this were another world, an alternate dimension, or something else altogether, I couldn’t see why the amenities here would be linked to my home. At least if they were, it would make more sense had I been able to reach my provider, which didn’t happen—that could only mean that the source of… whatever it was, for both my phone and card, were different.

Which would mean that they were either linked to something _here_ or something that couldn’t be explained by modern knowledge. Like magic, spirituality, dimension travel… Considering the circumstance, I leaned more towards the answer being in the latter “unexplained” category.

Of course, that was why I was hesitant to rely on it. My phone was one thing, but keeping my credit card as my only source of cash was unadvisable at best. It might have seemed infinite at the moment, but I didn’t have any true gauge on what this resource was. My card could still be linked to my account, in which case my savings was closer to maybe 38 million won, which… while not an amount to scoff at, was still very far from “infinite” and wouldn’t last me the rest of my life.

_Unless I had plans to die in the next three or so years, which… No. I don’t._

The point was that it could fail at any time, worse if it occurred at a crucial time, which made reliance on it unwise.

I made my way through the commercial district at a leisurely pace as I scoped out the shops. While I wasn’t too worried about anyone looking too closely at my lack of history or digging around to see if my ID was legitimate, I still didn’t want to take my chances, so major fast food chains or outlets backed by country-wide corporations were out. I would have wanted to find another office to work at, because as little joy as I got from the work I knew it was something I could excel at and the pay was _good,_ but that would require a lot more background checks than anything else.

I sighed, mentally kicking myself and the spiraling thought. _Short-term,_ I reminded myself sternly. It was hard not to obsessively plan for the future—which was a nice way of saying “worry about everything that could possibly go wrong and get increasingly anxious”—but the _kind_ of job as well as the starting pay was something I had to worry about later.

I already planned to use what I had currently for room and board, but I didn’t want to use that possibly limited resource for anything else, so I needed another source of income. Hence, a job.

I ended up finding a small restaurant to wait at for 8,000 per hour and a meal each ten hour work shift. It wasn’t family owned, but it was a single location restaurant with the owner on-site, so I managed to convince her to pay me under the table at the end of each day.

I didn’t exactly lie when I wove my story. “Fake” ID and a train ticket to leave home—heavily implied to be less than stellar—I said that I lost my friends and didn’t know what else to do. I felt bad about the fact I was deceiving her but overall I was more grateful that the owner was a kind and hospitable woman than guilt ridden. She gave me a uniform for the job that was approximately my size and that was that, the whole process rather painless.

For once, I was thankful for the fact I still got mistaken for a high school student more often than not.

Income more or less secured, for now at least, I headed out to find a temporary stay. My first thought was to go back to the apartment complex but I decided against it—there was something discomfiting about the idea, being in the same area with similar sights but with everything still disjointed and wrong. There was also something in the back of my mind that made me hesitant to rent a place on a basis any more permanent than daily, which was odd, until I considered the fact that I was still essentially a ghost with no background or legal anything.

I ended up finding a cheap motel two blocks off from the restaurant. There was a bed, a bathroom, and a towel, but it was otherwise bare of other things I’d need, which reminded me that I should go out and by necessities after I got paid. I noted down what to get on my phone; soaps, sanitary items, hygiene products, changes of clothes… The important thing was that the room was clean, at least to a reasonable standard, so it would do.

The next day saw me arriving to the restaurant at the lunch hour. The crowds weren’t flowing out the door but it was still significantly more lively than it had been when I’d come by in the afternoon. “Mint Leaf” stood out in bold lettering on the window, and I greeted my coworkers before pulling on an apron and getting to work.

It’d been several years since I worked anywhere other than the office, but it was simple enough to call up old memories and habits. I misplaced my pen a couple times and I had to consciously keep the grimace off of my face whenever I cleaned up greasy plates, but there was something almost comforting in the monotonous familiarity.

I walked away late into the evening 80,000 won richer. It wasn’t a lot, but it was enough to get most of my essentials. The pharmacy ate up most of my cash so I couldn’t get more than a pack of underwear, but I knew that would be fixed the next day.

This continued on for a little over a week. By the fourth day I had purchased anything I might need—I had all my hygiene products as well as three changes of clothes, the separate pieces interchangeable—and was able to start saving my money. Mint Leaf was closed on Sundays so that day had been taken to clean my room to something closer to my standard as well as pick up any other necessities I might have forgotten, and then it was back to work.

It was… nice. Not something I’d do for the rest of my life, but I’d be lying if I said I couldn’t see that being a possible future. I still wanted something more for myself though, career-wise, so I had already started drawing up plans for what to do about my status.

(Not office work. Unfortunately, without documentation of my education it wasn’t likely I’d be able to take the route I had before. I wanted something… new, I supposed, but still stable, and something that would fully engage me like my old job had. It was something to think about.)

“... wish I could have been born into a family like that,” Haejin—one of my coworkers—was saying.

It was my second week at Mint Leaf, and I had established friendly but professional relationships with everyone else, I thought. It was after our shifts and we were sitting in the breakroom as he watched the television. I nodded absently to his comment, listening with half an ear as I ate my sandwich while scrolling on my phone.

(There were still a lot of things about this world that I didn’t know. I wanted to keep up with the changes that happened, so I spent time researching—whether it was into political figures or social trends, they all helped paint a comprehensive picture of where I found myself.)

“No, seriously! It sucks that some people like us have to practically sell our souls to make a living, while others are born into a house of gold. Big shots like him like to talk a nice story about all the hard work he did to get where he is, but ultimately, having parents with money flowing out of their ears makes a difference.” A sigh. “Where’s the fairness in that?”

I huffed a laugh under my breath, not bothering to answer verbally. _Capitalism and nepotism_ are _a dangerous combination._

Haejin grumbled more under his breath as he settled back into his chair, eyes going back to the TV.

_“... Han… C &R International…” _

I blinked. I looked up at the TV as the words registered, something in the back of my mind edging towards familiarity.

The woman on the screen held a microphone, smiling professionally. _“... plans for C &R International seem to be made with the most astute of minds, reflecting the steady growth of the company. But, Chairman Han, many are interested to learn more about the Executive Director. Your son is set to inherit when you pass the company on to him, yes, but is there anything else you can tell us about him?” _

Haejin made a face as he reached for the control, probably to change the channel. I glanced to him as I pushed his hand away. “Wait.”

The screen zoomed out, revealing an older man with greying hair and laugh lines creasing his face. _“Hmm… Well, he is a meticulous person, and I truly appreciate his help. I believe he will make a fine Chairman one day, possibly even more than myself. He truly has an innate understanding of business and the logic behind it.”_

Steadily growing alarm joined the familiarity. I couldn’t place it, but there was something...

 _“I see.”_ The woman nodded. _“But can you tell us anything more? What are his hobbies, interests, and how does he spend his time?”_

Chairman Han smiled. _“Well, I believe his hobbies overlap with his work. He has always been a rather private individual, however, and even being his father, there are some things even I do not know about him. You’ll just have to ask Jumin yourself.”_

A picture—different and clearer than I recalled but _familiar_ —displayed on the screen.

I felt the blood drain from my face as everything _clicked._

“Bathroom,” I blurted, and I rushed to the adjoining room before Haejin could do more than make a questioning sound. I slammed the door with more force than intended and locked it, pulling out my phone and flying through the passcode.

I searched names I hadn’t thought to search before. _Jumin Han. Jaehee Kang. Zen/Hyun Ryu. Rika’s Fundraising Association._ Results and amount of content varied with each search, and due to prior knowledge I didn’t bother searching any of Saeyoung’s names, but the information stared up at me in a way that felt damning.

I skimmed the pages, just enough to compare what I knew and confirm, before closing the browser to find the last piece of evidence.

The Mystic Messenger app wasn’t there. The familiar icon and name were missing—rather, in its place was an app with a black background and a golden envelope icon, “R.F.A” in bold lettering underneath.

The implications.

I tapped the icon and it brought me to a black loading screen. No intro, no music, just a standard startup with an icon and the initials “RFA.”

It brought me to what was apparently the main page. My eyes darted across it and I went to the settings—there was nothing about BGM or logs or bug reports, only things that would be expected from a messaging app. Profile, themes, notifications, photos and videos, timeline—not anything that would imply that it was once a game app, almost redundant in how innocuous it was. How it felt.

I slowly slid to the floor.

I clicked back to the main page, staring dully at the chatroom. Five icons, a bold “5” next to a green dot. Five people were online, and I realized I could faintly recognize the images displayed.

It was one thing to end up in what was tentatively labeled an parallel world to your own where you and the people you knew didn’t exist. Not easy, but I could adapt—enough time, and a reasonable amount of plausible deniability, and I’d find a way.

But this was being confronted with the impossible. It wasn’t just some parallel world, a possible aspect of space and time that modern science had yet to fully explore. _This_ was a game, _fiction,_ and _no amount of science or reason could explain_.

(And yet, all the same, the part of me that was still worried about the circumstances of my card and phone finally relaxed.)

I had somehow ended up in a world where the events of a game were real.

I was in the world of _Mystic Messenger._


	2. Chapter 2

After about five minutes of panicking and five minutes of dissociating, I finally had a mind to think.

(Part of that might’ve actually been because of Haejin banging on the door to ask if I died.)

“So,” I murmured to myself, tugging absently at my hair with one hand as I stared down at my phone. “Mystic Messenger. This is real. This is a _thing_ , that’s happening.”

I didn’t want to join the chatroom yet. Even though my thoughts were now more than unresponsive static, I still wasn’t in the right state of mind to be chatting with any of them. Instead, I decided to search through the messenger and see how it worked.

As I had gathered, all functions from the game were gone. The main page had links to the individual profiles of the RFA members, and I noticed with curiosity that mine was there as well. The icon was predictably blank.

The chatroom function was… different from the game, but similar. There were logs from a little over a week ago—the exact date that I somehow ended up here, I realized with a feeling that was somehow both incredulous and expectant—and overall, chats were separated by days like in the game. Within each day were logs at seemingly sporadic times, and there didn’t appear to be any rhyme or reason to the system at first glance, but...

I clicked a log and quickly scrolled down. As odd as it was, it didn’t sit well with me to read through old logs when I hadn’t even alerted anyone of my presence in the app. I’m pretty sure that Saeyoung would have noticed and done something about it, at least, if me simply having the app were enough to alert them.

As I thought, the log ended when everyone logged out.

_… So they’re recorded in sessions?_ It was an interesting concept, and actually pretty similar to how the game worked, if only in a real-life setting. It certainly lended a new form of organization, that’s for sure, and the fact that you could see who it was that was part of the chat was a plus. I assumed it only worked here because there were few members, all with their own lives that didn’t let them sit on the app all day.

It would definitely be… _interesting_ … to see how the app would compile chats if the chatrooms resembled 50+ discord servers.

_I’m pretty sure my phone would crash trying to load those logs_.

I hit my phone’s home button and pulled up a puzzle app. I knew I was avoiding the problem, but I needed time to think. If it were just a game I used to pass the time without any emotional attachment involved, it would have been easy to decide to mess with any and everyone involved, and see if I could help them along the way.

… Well, no. Even if I hadn’t had an attachment to the game, being faced with the fact that they were now real people rather than code and recorded text would have kept me from treating it all flippantly. That I did have an attachment only seemed to add another layer of anxiety to it all, even though I should’ve been happy, if anything.

Mystic Messenger was a game I still played sometimes, when I knew I’d have some time of calmer activity at work that might allow for the chatrooms. For all its flaws, it still had a special place in my heart, and I cherished the time I could take to play through the different stories.

I’d first been introduced to the app by a friend. I hadn’t played these kinds of games prior and had been reasonably skeptical as a result. I’d also been… in a not-good place, both literally and figuratively, and I didn’t have a lot that could interest me. It’d been after a particularly bad day that I remembered the game.

I can’t say what it was that finally motivated me to check out the app I’d downloaded a while ago—curiosity probably, or maybe a desperate attempt to find a distraction—but that had been a turning point in my life.

I loved these characters. Not as in, actual attraction for fictional characters, but I felt a draw to their stories, their fictional personalities and interactions. It hadn’t exactly helped improve my then sleep patterns at the time but it gave me something to wake up for each day. Something to pull myself out of bed and fulfill my obligations for, beyond the reason “living for the sake of living.”

It was small. It was minor, it was just a game, but it was all too important nonetheless.

_But these are real people,_ I thought to myself. _This… isn’t a game. Not anymore. This isn’t something I can save and reload, it’s…_

I thought of Saeyoung’s situation. I thought of _Saeran._

I wasn’t surprised I wanted to help them. All of RFA, even—even Rika _,_ _V,_ to an extent. I wanted to support Zen, be a companion to Jumin, a friend to Yoosung, give Jaehee a happier life. And Saeyoung, Saeran…

Their routes had been the ones I played the most. In the beginning, in Saeyoung’s case, it had been because he was the obvious main character of the game, and I was pretty simple—I saw the title character and followed the direction of the story. But over time, it had been because I genuinely began to love his character, loved the other characters, and when Saeran’s route had been released I happily dove into that one, too.

Saeran’s story had been… taxing. It made me uncomfortable, how certain themes were portrayed, how central to the route the abuse—overt or not—was, and the open-ended finale, without knowing if Saeyoung was dead. Knowing that it had been by their own father’s hand and feeling like I couldn’t do anything to help him the whole time hadn’t been a good feeling.

But even still, there had been something about the route that made me replay it many times. The same number, if not more, than Jaehee’s.

I couldn’t even begin to describe how… Betrayed? No, but angry, disgusted and frustrated I’d been when I played V’s route, and Saeran… died. He died, Saeyoung was left to pick up the pieces, not completely realizing—but somehow subconsciously _knowing_ —that not only had he lost his brother for good, but that he had played a hand in it. It was—

I breathed.

I exited out of the puzzle app and moved back to the messenger, steeling my nerves.

It prompted me to input a name. I thought about my situation, about what this meant to me. I thought about a novel where the protagonist was in a situation similar to this, a reader who had read the entire series before finding himself in the very story that he’d spent half his life following...

I wanted to help. I wanted… to do _something._ I couldn’t identify it, whether it was some odd sense of obligation in light of the circumstances or if I just wanted to be involved with characters—people—who had been so pivotal at a weak time in my life, probably some combination of both, but the point was I wanted to do this. The makings of possible courses of action and future plans were already forming in my mind.

I still didn’t know what to think of my situation. But I was already in it, and I decided: _I’ll do something._

I typed in my name. “Red.” Not for the color, but as a similar name to the word “read.” I was a reader too, in a way, and there was something that felt almost symbolic about taking a page from “Reader Kim’s” book.

I pulled up the chatroom and, with a breath, pressed my finger to the screen. 

> **(Red has entered the chatroom.)**
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** I just don’t know what to do…
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** What’s wrong?
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** <large> I can’t believe the server’s down again! TT </large>
> 
> **707:** lol
> 
> **(Jaehee Kang sent a sticker: “…”)**
> 
> **(ZEN sent a sticker: “...”)**
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** You were complaining earlier about having too much homework. Shouldn’t you take this time to work on that?
> 
> **ZEN:** What she said
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** I can’t T_T
> 
> **ZEN:** Why?
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** Because
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** LOLOL
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** is
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** DOWN!!!
> 
> **707:** lololol
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** It’s been down for over 15 minutes…! I was in the middle of a quest, too, and the stress…
> 
> **(Yoosung sent a sticker: “crying”)**
> 
> **(Yoosung sent a sticker: “crying”)**
> 
> **(Yoosung sent a sticker: “crying”)**
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** Don’t hog the chatroom.
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** T_T Sorry…
> 
> **(707 sent a sticker: “eyesparkle”)**
> 
> **707:** Did someone say…
> 
> **707:** Chatroom spam!?
> 
> **(707 sent a sticker: “cheering”)**
> 
> **(707 sent a sticker: “cheering”)**
> 
> **(707 sent a sticker: “cheering”)**
> 
> **(707 sent a sticker: “cheering”)**
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** Luciel…
> 
> **Jumin Han:** Don’t spam.
> 
> **(ZEN sent a sticker: “...”)**
> 
> **707:** lolol k
> 
> **(Yoosung sent a sticker: “crying”)**
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** What’s taking so long!?
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** ;;It hasn’t even been a week since you found that game and yet you’re so...
> 
> **Jumin Han:** If you’re bored, you should read my book.
> 
> **ZEN:** DON’T.
> 
> **ZEN:** Stop. I don’t want to hear more about your stupid book.
> 
> **Jumin Han:** Maybe it will help motivate you to accomplish necessary tasks, too.
> 
> **Jumin Han:** What’s wrong with my book?
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** I also prefer that you don’t talk about your book here.
> 
> **(707 sent a sticker: “shocked”)**
> 
> **707:** But it’s a good book! U only read the first page, Jaehee, and u haven’t even tried it Zen!
> 
> **Jumin Han:** Exactly.
> 
> **707:** It’s rly funny to read lolol
> 
> **Jumin Han:** …
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** I don’t really want to read it but I’m kinda curious lol
> 
> **(Jumin Han sent a sticker: “smiling”)**
> 
> **Jumin Han:** I’m quite proud of it. It’s called “The Successful Path of a Certain Man,” and is available in all bookstores.
> 
> **Jumin Han:** I’m sure you will learn much from it.
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** Hm… Maybe! It is a bestseller after all haha
> 
> **ZEN:** God. If you do please don’t talk about it here, I don’t want to read more of Mr. Trust Fund’s rigged success.
> 
> **Jumin Han:** <cat> It’s not rigged, I’m just that good. </cat>
> 
> **ZEN:** UGH
> 
> **ZEN:** Seven please get rid of that cat speech bubble! I feel like I’m having an allergic reaction just looking at it!
> 
> **Jumin Han:** No.
> 
> **707:** nah
> 
> **707:** <cat> I like it too much :3 </cat>
> 
> **ZEN:** U G H
> 
> **707:** It reminds me of my Elly <3<3<3
> 
> **Jumin Han:** Her name is Elizabeth the 3rd.
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** ;;Is this really necessary…
> 
> **ZEN:** Ugh… that hairball… I can feel a sneeze coming on already...
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** It’s okay Zen, I won’t tease you about your allergy
> 
> **707:** wait
> 
> **ZEN:** ;;Thanks…
> 
> **(707 sent a sticker: “shocked”)**
> 
> **ZEN:** You’re a good person, unlike some people here
> 
> **ZEN:** What happened?
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** ???
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** Is there something wrong?
> 
> **707:** There
> 
> **707:** Is
> 
> **707:** An
> 
> **707:** INTRUDER!!!
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** !?
> 
> **ZEN:** What??
> 
> **(Yoosung☆ sent a sticker: “shocked”)**
> 
> **Jumin Han:** ?
> 
> **Jumin Han:** Username “Red”...?

I stared at the screen for a long moment.

> **Red:** Hiya
> 
> **707:** HIYA!?!?
> 
> **707:** !?!?
> 
> **707:** !?.
> 
> **707:** .
> 
> **Jumin Han:** Who are you?
> 
> **ZEN:** Isn’t this messenger supposed to be private? How did they get in??
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** Yes. It shouldn’t be possible to gain access to the chat, and Luciel is the only one who can send it…
> 
> **707:** I didn’t send it out to anyone else
> 
> **Jumin Han:** State your business and how you received access. Now.
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** A stranger! Is it a hacker?? Should I be scared?!
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** Seven, what’s going on??
> 
> **707:** /
> 
> **707:** I’m looking
> 
> **707:** Right now
> 
> **707:** Sry using one hand

Knowing that Saeyoung— _Seven,_ I reminded myself—was looking into me was something I wanted to support, mostly because if anyone would be able to figure out just what was going on with my phone and situation it would be him. But not yet. There were other things I needed to do first. 

> **Red:** I need to speak with V.
> 
> **Jumin Han:** Why?
> 
> **707:** <large> V?? </large>
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** Um…;; why do you need to speak to V??
> 
> **Red:** I mean Jihyun Kim. Rika’s Fiance?
> 
> **(Jaehee Kang sent a sticker: “shocked”)**
> 
> **(ZEN sent a sticker: “shocked”)**
> 
> **(707 sent a sticker: “shocked”)**
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** Wait you know Rika!? How?? Whoa re you??
> 
> **(707 sent a sticker: “shocked”)**
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** Please, if you know anything!!
> 
> **ZEN:** Said so casually… I don’t know what to say.
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** Neither do I...
> 
> **Jumin Han:** I do.
> 
> **Jumin Han:** Username “Red,” tell us who you are and what your connection to V is right now.
> 
> **Red:** … I’m sorry. I don’t know how much I can say, I heard that they’re secrets.

_Bullshit,_ I thought. The moment I figured out how to do it safely, I planned to tell everyone—especially Seven—about what was going on.

I would have liked to tell them now, but… I knew I was still in shock, and was moving mostly on autopilot. These were real people, now, and the whole thing with Mint Eye and the prime minister were not issues I could afford to take lightly.

As it was, any information coming from me, a stranger, would be disregarded. Worse, depending on “when” this was, Mint Eye might have gotten access to the messenger already, and revealing too much in any text that would go to the logs was dangerous. Not only might it force Rika to make a move towards the RFA before they were ready, but it would also paint a target on myself. I wasn’t so willing to have my only advantage, or my life, taken away.

… But before I could do anything, I needed to secure a place in the RFA.

> **Jumin Han:** Secrets..?
> 
> **707:** ???
> 
> **707:** ?????
> 
> **ZEN:** What do you mean you heard?
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** You may say that, but I don’t think we can trust you.
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** I think I have a headache...
> 
> **707:** <large> ??????? </large>
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** Seven?..
> 
> **707:** This is
> 
> **707:** Weird
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** What’s wrong?
> 
> **Jumin Han:** Have you found out anything about them yet?
> 
> **707:** I can’t access their phone?? I can’t trace it at all, it’s as if
> 
> **707:** It doesn’t exist

I felt a little cold at that bit of information.

> **Jumin Han:** I’ll call V. He should be here.
> 
> **707:** U read my mind
> 
> **Red:** I really am sorry that I can’t tell you anything right now. But hasn’t this happened before?
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** What do you mean by that?
> 
> **707:** !!! Of course not!!
> 
> **707:** I, the great Seven-Zero-Seven, designed this app myself!!!
> 
> **707:** <large> It’s impervious! </large>
> 
> **(Jaehee Kang sent a sticker: “...”)**
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** Until today, at least.
> 
> **707:** ...right!
> 
> **ZEN:** lololol

It still didn’t tell me _exactly_ when, or what the circumstances were, but I now knew that the player character wasn’t there. I didn’t know how to feel about that—her presence would have helped, if only because of how much she supported them…

_… Or maybe not?_ That was only based on the good endings I had gotten. This was all real, the characters were people, more complex than a fictional story. There was no telling what kind of person a real-life version of the player character would be.

> **(V has entered the chatroom.)**
> 
> **Jumin Han:** V is here.
> 
> **V:** So there has been a security breach…
> 
> **ZEN:** Whoa that was quick. Hi V!
> 
> **707:** V!
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** Thank God you’re here, V.
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** V, do you know about this person!?
> 
> **V:** Hello everyone. I’m sorry I haven’t been able to log on as often...
> 
> **V:** “Red”... Who are you? What is your intention here?
> 
> **Red:** I can’t say. Can you call?

My insistence for calling was probably weird to them, but I was still worried about the logs. Phone calls were my most secure option, I believed.

> **Jaehee Kang:** Red, you are very suspicious. Please understand that we cannot trust someone in your position.
> 
> **707:** Gaaah… What do we do, V?
> 
> **707:** I still can’t trace the IP for some reason!! This is weird!!
> 
> **707:** Too weird!!
> 
> **707:** But I could still block their access lol. Should I??
> 
> **(ZEN sent a sticker: “shocked”)**
> 
> **ZEN:** We’re not going to try and figure out what’s going on first?

I tried to remember anything that could catch his attention without also alerting the others. Unfortunately, a lot that I knew was directly related to the twins, which would obviously alert Sae—Seven as well. I hadn’t played V’s route in so long that the details were foggier than I would have liked.

> **Jumin Han:** This is suspicious.
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** But there’s no harm in just a phone call. It seems like they know something, and I want to know…
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** Yoosung… It isn’t good to keep suspecting…
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** I can’t help it.
> 
> **Jumin Han:** I believe we should cut contact. We shouldn’t trust them.
> 
> **707:** Ya
> 
> **707:** If they’re dangerous I can just keep searching after
> 
> **707:** It’s whatever u decide, V

I watched the messages, slowly typing out another reply.

> **Red:** … Please. One phone call, that’s all I ask. After that, if I can’t manage to convince you, I’ll leave without a fuss.
> 
> **Jumin Han:** <large> Is that a threat? </large>

I stared at my screen. A _threat_ …? I didn’t how to be more sincere with my wording than I already was.

> **ZEN:** It’s a little weird, but… I think they mean well? It’s just a feeling though lol
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** Hm… Your intuition has been accurate in the past.
> 
> **V:** Luciel, other than Red having access to the messenger to chat here right now, is there anything else happening?
> 
> **707:** nope
> 
> **707:** I’ve been keeping an eye on the RFA server and there’s been no suspicious activity!
> 
> **707:** The most suspicious thing is that they’re here to begin with lol.
> 
> **Jumin Han:** I still believe this is too risky. Why would they want a private call with V?
> 
> **Jumin Han:** They don’t want to tell us anything on here, not even something as simple as their intentions.
> 
> **Jumin Han:** Red, how can I trust you when you won’t reveal even that much?

I didn’t like it, but he had a point. _But,_ between having their suspicions and having Rika’s—and by extension Mint Eye’s—suspicions, it was no contest.

I couldn’t say anything overt. I wanted them to trust me, but I could understand why they couldn’t. I wanted to say a lot, but I couldn’t without taking a risk too large for me to handle at the current point in time.

_Be honest, but not too honest,_ I decided. _Maybe… Maybe say something cryptic, creepy so they don’t ask more questions. But only a little._

> **Red:** You could say I’m invested in your happiness.

I slammed my head back into the door, face burning. _I can’t believe I sent that. Really? Wow._

> **(Jaehee Kang sent a sticker: “?”)**
> 
> **ZEN:** … lol??
> 
> **(707 sent a sticker: “???”)**
> 
> **707:** lololol
> 
> **(Jumin Han sent a sticker: “...”)**
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** What… does that mean???
> 
> **Red:** Sorry. Ignore that. What I mean is that I mean no harm, I want to help. I’m just trying to figure out how to do that.
> 
> **Jumin Han:** Hm.
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** One phone call doesn’t seem too bad…
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** That is, if you have the time, V.
> 
> **707:** Ya
> 
> **V:** Red,
> 
> **V:** I’ve decided to hear you out.

I felt relieved.

> **Red:** Thank you
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** Why can’t you talk about it here..?
> 
> **V:** Don’t worry. When I come back, I’ll fill you all in.

I shook my head. _I seriously doubt that._

> **V:** Luciel, if you could...?
> 
> **707:** On it
> 
> **V:**  Then,
> 
> **(V has left the chatroom.)**
> 
> **(Red has left the chatroom.)**

I took a moment to peek into the breakroom. Haejin wasn’t there anymore—he must’ve gone home already. The bathroom of my workplace wasn’t really the place to be having this conversation, but not because it was  _dangerous._ I didn’t think V would be too miffed if I asked him to wait an hour but… I also wanted to get it over with.

My phone started ringing. I made sure the door was locked, and hit answer.

“Hello.”

_“Ah… This is Red? I wish I could say ‘nice to hear from you,’ but I still don’t know what to think.”_

“That’s fine, that’s what this call is for.” My eyes stayed riveted to a crack in the wall. “I was sincere when I said I wanted to help, back in the chatroom. I know things you don’t, and you know things I don’t.”

He was silent on the other end, either allowing me to gather my thoughts or not knowing what to say himself. I blinked.

“She didn’t die. Suicide was just a cover you made up, when in reality she went to found her own cult.”

I heard a short intake of breath.

“Said cult is Mint Eye, with the Magenta being their base of operations. She’s convinced it’s a paradise for those with ‘darkness’ who ‘can’t live in society’. She wants to bring RFA into this makeshift paradise and will probably make her move to do so soon.“

I thought I heard the sound of paper or cloth on the other end.

_“... Who are you?”_

“Doesn’t matter,” I said. “I’m not really sure myself at this point. I have two questions: where is Magenta, and how long ago did Rika ‘die’?”

_“How… How did you learn all of this? Just… What…?”_

He sounded dazed. “We both know a lot. We both want to protect RFA and we’re both placed best to do something about this. What I’m offering is that we work together, because the fact is, it’s impossible to find a happy resolution for everyone alone.”

_“... Why do you want to protect RFA?”_

“I owe them,” I said easily.

_“So you feel a sense of obligation.”_

“No.” I shook my head, even though I knew he couldn’t see it. “If it was obligation, I wouldn’t be giving you a choice. It’s because I want to.”

_“Why do you feel like you ‘owe’ the RFA? Were you part of one of the organizations we donated to?”_

“No, it’s for more personal reasons. They’ve all helped me, one way or another, so I’d like to repay that.”

More silence.

“Please answer my questions: When did Rika ‘die’, and where is Magenta located?”

_“Rika… the, ‘incident’ happened about six months ago, now.”_

He paused. I waited, but he didn’t continue.

“And Magenta?”

_“I can’t tell you that.”_ His voice was firm.

I narrowed my eyes. “Why?”

_“I… I just can’t. It’s too… It’s dangerous—“_

“For who?” I pushed. “For me? For RFA? For Rika, who you’re trying to ‘protect’?”

Another lengthy pause.

“I need the location. Maybe _you_ are okay with leaving things as they are, but—“ I cut myself off, evening my tone. “... I understand that you’re conflicted over the situation, but while you’re trying to do everything yourself Rika’s organization is growing. And as a result, she gains more victims, more power, and she has someone in her grasp that I refuse to let stay there.”

_“It’s not—“_

I cut him off. A voice in the back of my head tried to remind me that that probably wasn’t wise. “You might be okay with leaving him there for the time being, but _I’m_ not. Every day he’s there is a day too much. Even if you don’t tell me the location right now, I promise you that I’ll _find a way_. So you can either save us both time by telling me now, or you can not, wasting more time for the both of us that could be used towards finding professional help for the victims. _Including_ Rika herself, who should have consulted a professional years ago.”

A part of me was surprised at my vehemence, not knowing where it came from, and I knew that I was being unfair. I played a game, I didn’t know everything that happened behind the scenes—only what that game considered plot relevant—so it was possible that V really was doing all he could.

But the fact remained that it was all he could do, _individually._ He hadn’t reached out to anyone, instead believing he could solve everything if he took on the burdens himself, which was a major mistake in my eyes.

I forced my jaw to relax. “I can’t help Saeran if I don’t know where he is.”

_“‘Saeran’?”_ His voice was sharper, though the difference was minuscule. _“Where did you hear that name?”_

“Tell me the location of Magenta and I might tell you.”

He was quiet. Of course. I idly tapped a rhythm into the case of my phone.

“I’ll reiterate. I mean no harm, not to anyone in RFA. I also wouldn’t do anything to intentionally harm Saeran. I just want to get him out of there.”

_“... Is he really there?”_

I paused, pulling my phone away from my ear to stare at the screen incredulously. I held it back to my ear. “... V,” I said, slowly, “who were their guardians?”

The pause told me he was nonplussed by my question. Either that, or he was weighing my words and already realizing my point. _“… Rika and I.”_

“And is Saeran with you right now? When was the last time you saw him, personally?”

Silence.

“Right now, he’s with Rika, and the situation is not good. I’m not leaving him there. Whether you let me stay with RFA or not, whether you _tell_ someone or not, I’m getting involved.”

More shuffling of papers. A sigh. _“I think… It would be best for you to stay with the RFA for now. I believe you when you say you don’t mean us any harm, somehow… At the very least, it will allow us to not make conflicting actions.”_ His tone seemed a little wry at the end, but I might have just been hearing things.

“Not that I’m not glad, but how would our actions oppose each other? It’s not like either of us actually see Mint Eye as a good thing to allow to grow.”

I still thought it’d be best if we worked together. V as a sleeper agent was risky because he could be recognized on sight, but I was entirely unknown.

_“You were right about Rika. I… am hesitant to reveal anything that incriminates her. I don’t…”_

_Oh._ “I see. I… can understand that you want to protect her?” It came out as more of a question—in truth, I couldn’t understand, not his _way_ of doing so at least. “But I won’t change my mind. You can either tell the others in RFA yourself, or… They hear it from me.”

_“Why are you insisting on telling them?”_

His tone seemed a little strained, I noticed. “Because you won’t. Because what you have done so far isn’t enough. Because I have a good idea of what might happen if I _don’t_ make a move soon, but I also know that a single person can’t resolve everything peacefully.”

_“... How much time do I have?”_

“I don’t know. It’s dependent on other factors.” The factors being ‘when I find Magenta,’ which I wasn’t going to say because that would be reason _not_ to tell me. “The others won’t trust anything I tell them now. I’d say a month?”

… Which was too long, in my opinion, because even if I managed to get Saeran out of there on my own, I didn’t like the idea of washing my hands of the problem regarding Rika and however many believers were there. I knew, logically, that they would even be _happy_ for me to leave them as they were, but…

Well. I’d do what I could.

_“A month…”_

I waited for him to continue whatever thought that was, but after a few seconds it seemed more an unconscious utterance than anything else.

“So I think that was everything I wanted to cover,” I said, a tad awkward. “I can’t promise I’ll answer, but if there’s anything else you were thinking of..?”

_“... No. I don’t think you’ll answer the questions I have.”_ The same could be said about him. _“... You know, I don’t think you did very much convincing, despite what you said in the chat room.”_

I grinned, though it felt sharp. “I already said I’d proceed with or without you. This call wasn’t so much for convincing you so much as giving you an offer, and in the hopes that Mint Eye wouldn’t catch wind of me at this point.”

Truth be told, I was still worried about that: I didn’t want to be kicked out of the RFA chatroom. I’d heard the “for now” loud and clear. But I knew—based on what I revealed to V added to the fact I was untraceable, I wouldn’t just be set aside and forgotten. V would want to keep some manner of observation of my movements, and no doubt he’d ask Seven or Jumin to look into my background. It would, inevitably, keep a connection between RFA and I, possibly enough for a reestablishment of communications.

I’d hit a wall in getting the location of Magenta from him, though I still had hope for other opportunities to convince him now that I had a temporary place in RFA. There was also the option to scour all the mountain and forest areas of South Korea to find Magenta, though… that was definitely an absolute last resort.

V was quiet on the other end as I thought, patient in his silence.

I was surprised at how little V had said to me, overall. I knew my words were biting and accusatory through most of the conversation, but he didn’t say anything to refute them… It was his own insecurities agreeing with what he viewed as an attack to him and his methods, probably. It wasn’t entirely wrong.

“... I don’t agree with how you’ve been handling all of this,” I said. “That doesn’t mean I don’t think you’ve tried your best with what you were given, or that I think you wouldn’t willingly throw yourself into danger if it meant resolving everything peacefully… It’s just, that isn’t what will fix everything.”

I rubbed the bridge of my nose. “I’m a stranger, so I don’t expect you to rely on me. But you have friends you _can_ rely on, who would willingly do it in a heartbeat if you’d ask. So please, talk to them.”

It was quiet for several moments. _“You’re not giving me much choice.”_

Well… That was true.

“Oh, one last thing.”

_“Yes?”_

“Was there really not another member of RFA? Aside from the five I met tonight, yourself and Rika, there isn’t another?”

_“... No?”_ He cleared his throat. _“No, there isn’t. Why do you ask?”_

I frowned. My thoughts were a jumbled mess, and I couldn’t decide whether or not this was a good thing. “It’s nothing really,” I said. “Unsurprisingly, what I thought I knew isn’t infallible.”

I didn’t have an exact timeline, but if I was correct, the player character should have shown up around this time. Another Story aside, the original routes took place a year and a half after Rika’s “death”—a year from now. In both, she had been brought into RFA through Mint Eye’s interference after months of observation, but what did my joining do to those plans?

My presence could have very well made it so she, whoever she was, would never join the group. The thought was more unnerving than it should have been.

The call ended shortly after, an exchange of short goodbyes that was more uncomfortable than any interview I’ve been on.

V… was not exactly someone I was aiming to make friends with. Sure, I understood that he was not in the best situation, and I could recognize he was doing the best that he could as a single person. Even still, we disagreed on something fundamental that didn’t sit right with me.

I really could understand his hesitation. I knew that tendency to try solving everything on your own intimately—the firm belief you _had_ to do everything yourself, that it was your responsibility, either not realizing or ignoring the harm caused by that mindset. _“I work better alone.” “I don’t want to burden anyone else.” “This is my problem, I caused it, so I need to fix it.”_ There were any number of reasons I gave myself that seemed to justify my single-mindedness.

It never got to a severity of _this_ degree, but I can’t say it was due to understanding better rather than simply not having the opportunity to fuck up on such a massive scale.

I packed up my things, and with quick good-byes to the owner and the cooks, I walked out into the night air.

I was giving V the benefit of the doubt. If he didn’t know before just how bad Rika’s organization was, he had an idea of it now. He’d check what I said and realize it was even worse, because I had glossed over the details.

If, even after all that, he still hesitated, I can say I did what I could.

I pulled out my phone and opened the messenger.

> **(Red has entered the chatroom.)**
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** Welcome back.
> 
> **Red:** Thanks ^^
> 
> **V:** Ah, good. You’re here.
> 
> **V:** As I was saying, I believe it best if Red stays with us, for now.
> 
> **Jumin Han:** “For now”?
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** Are you sure that’s wise?
> 
> **V:** Yes.
> 
> **V:** Red didn’t tell me everything they know, but I understand the need for secrets...
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** What did Red say!?
> 
> **V:** … And I trust their sincerity that they don’t mean any harm.
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** Red, what did you tell V??
> 
> **V:** Yoosung...
> 
> **V:** I’m sorry,

_Shit._ I hurriedly backspaced on what I had and hastily typed out something else. If this really was only six months after Rika’s death, from what I recalled, Yoosung was especially sensitive about the subject and V’s secrecy—I didn’t need V’s habits turning the others against me, accidental or not.

> **Red:** I told him things about myself and my background so he knows I’m not a suspicious person.
> 
> **Red:** V, it’s all right. It’s not like my personal information is anything I need to keep secret, it’s just that my situation is confusing right now.
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** Oh, I see..!
> 
> **707:** So Red is O-K?
> 
> **(707 sent a sticker: “???”)**
> 
> **V:** Yes. I hope you will treat Red like a member of the RFA.
> 
> **Jumin Han:** … I don’t agree with this. But if you say so, I will respect your decision, V.
> 
> **V:** And maybe you might be able to convince Red to not take such risky maneuvers…

I stared at my phone screen. He _did not._

> **Yoosung☆:** Risky maneuvers??
> 
> ( **Yoosung☆ sent a sticker: “?”)**
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** Is Red in danger?
> 
> **ZEN:** Hold on… We were just talking about whether Red was dangerous, but instead it’s that Red is in danger??
> 
> **(707 sent a sticker: “shocked”)**
> 
> **707:** V… is Red like me!?
> 
> **ZEN:** I don’t think anyone is like you…
> 
> **707:** Secret identity… mysterious past..!!
> 
> **707:** Is Red,
> 
> **707:** <large> A Super Secret Agent Bringer of Justice God!?!? </large>

I snorted, deciding not to answer that question.

> **Red:** I’m not in danger. I only said I’d be willing to put myself in that position if he didn’t ask anyone else for help. I won’t sit back and do nothing.
> 
> **Red:** If doing nothing was my decision, I would never have logged on in the first place.
> 
> **Red:** Besides, the same could be said about you, V.
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** I’m confused… Why are you both talking like that;;
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** I do feel like Red and V are not saying anything straightforward.
> 
> **Red:** V, please think about what I said. If not me, then you have everyone here to rely on. You yourself are not in a good situation. Nothing will be solved by trying to take on all the burdens yourself.

Was it manipulative to say it in the chat where everyone could see it? Yes. If V wasn’t going to listen to me, then I hoped he would listen to the people that he’s known for years.

_And turnabout is fair play,_ I thought a little vindictively.

> **Jumin Han:** V? Are you in danger?
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** What?!
> 
> **(ZEN sent a sticker: “shocked”)**
> 
> **Jumin Han:** I hope you know you can depend on me.
> 
> **707:** Is that true!? V!
> 
> **707:** You know you can count on me! I’m your defender!
> 
> **ZEN:** You did say things were busy... Is there actually something dangerous going on?
> 
> **707:** And slave, and loyal hacker!!
> 
> **(V sent a sticker: “sweatdrop”)**
> 
> **V:** Nothing is wrong.
> 
> **V:** I’ve just been busy… I can’t say with what, but I’m not in terrible danger.
> 
> **V:** Ah
> 
> **707:** V?
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** Terrible danger??
> 
> **V:** Sorry, I have to go right now. I’ll log back on as soon as I can.
> 
> **V:** Red… I hope we can talk more later.
> 
> **(V has left the chatroom.)**
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** … That was abrupt…
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** If he’s really in trouble then I’m kinda worried… I just wish he’d stop keeping so many secrets.
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** Red!
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** I know what you said earlier, but what did you guys talk about?
> 
> **Jumin Han:** I would also like to know what you meant by your last words to V.
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** Was there anything about a woman named Rika?
> 
> **(ZEN sent a sticker: “crying”)**
> 
> **ZEN:** I hope he’s ok. If there’s anything he needs help with, he knows I’ll be there for him!
> 
> **ZEN:** Right?
> 
> **Red:** I can’t really say anything about V’s side in this, since I don’t know him as well
> 
> **Red:** But from what I’ve gathered he’s trying to take on a burden himself, which I don’t agree with.
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** V told you??
> 
> **Red:** No. But I made some guesses that he didn’t refute.

There were no immediate replies. I walked up the stairs of the motel, key in hand.

> **Jaehee Kang:** To be honest, I still don’t know what to think of you, Red.
> 
> **ZEN:** Yeah. I feel like you’re sincere but it seems like you have a lot of secrets…
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** V has a lot of secrets too
> 
> **ZEN:** Yoosung;;
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** V may have told us to treat you like you’re part of RFA, but it isn’t so easy as that.
> 
> **Jumin Han:** Indeed.
> 
> **Jumin Han:** I respect V’s decision, but I will see for myself just what kind of person you are.
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** I don’t like all the secrets but I feel like you are a good person… I guess we’ll just have to get to know you!

The door shut behind me. I tossed my bag on the bed and sat next to it, the springs creaking under my weight.

> **Red:** That’s all I can ask for. The chance to prove myself.
> 
> **Red:** That being said...

I pulled out my wallet and stared down at the card through the clear film, contemplating.

> **(Red sent a picture)**
> 
> **Jumin Han:** What’s that?
> 
> **ZEN:** Cute lol
> 
> **707:** Oh???
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** An ID… Is that yours?
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** So you’re a girl! I was wondering about that haha
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** I appreciate you sharing something about you with us.
> 
> **Red:** Sorry, it’s not so straightforward as that.
> 
> **Red:** Find out what you can about this person. It’s related to me, so you’ll be finding out information about me, too.
> 
> **707:** A picture ID?? Too easy lol

I smiled. _Easy, huh? I guess we’ll see._

> **Red:** I doubt it lol
> 
> **707:** You doubt the defender of justice!?
> 
> **707:** I am
> 
> **707:** <large> AMAZING HACKER GOD SEVEN! </large>
> 
> **707:** I’ll figure out all your secrets in no time!
> 
> **Red:** >_<
> 
> **707:** >_<
> 
> **707:** lolol we synced
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** <large> I don’t know how I feel about that. </large>
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** Wait… so… If that’s not you
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** Are you a girl? A boy?
> 
> **ZEN:** I admit I’m curious too
> 
> **Jaehee Kang:** If you are going to be part of RFA, I should put together your records. Your information would be appreciated.

I hesitated. I knew this question would come up eventually, but I was hesitant to be labeled “man” or “woman” indefinitely. I didn’t _mind_ either, not at the moment, but that would change.

I also wasn’t comfortable telling them right off the bat, though.

> **Red:** What do you think?? Lol
> 
> **(Jaehee Kang sent a sticker: “...”)**
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** You can’t even tell me that?
> 
> **(Yoosung☆: sent a sticker: “crying”)**
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** Oh! I should have asked V! He heard your voice…
> 
> **707:** Voice isn’t always helpful
> 
> **707:** U can have a deep voice as a lady or a high voice as a man
> 
> **ZEN:** Seven is right. As an actor, you encounter many people who can modulate their voice however they like…
> 
> **Yoosung☆:** Oh… huh!
> 
> **Red:** Anyway
> 
> **Red:** If any of you find anything from that ID, please let me know
> 
> **Red:** Any information would help. To be honest, I have gaps in my memory, and I would appreciate learning more

It wasn’t even a lie. I still couldn’t remember what I was doing before waking up here, even though it had already been a week. It was disconcerting in more ways than one—I couldn’t help but wonder just what my circumstances were, how I got here, and whether or not going back was even an option.

(I tried not to think about that last point too much. I didn’t have many attachments, sure, but the few I did made my chest ache something fierce.)

> **Jaehee Kang:** Gaps in your memory… As in amnesia?
> 
> **ZEN:** Amnesia!?
> 
> **Jumin Han:** … If that’s the case, I can understand your secrecy to a degree.
> 
> **Jumin Han:** Have you tried consulting a professional for help?
> 
> **ZEN:** Yeah… That’s gotta be rough to not remember anything.
> 
> **Red:** It’s not that I don’t remember anything, it’s just… certain things are completely blank.
> 
> **Red:** It’s a little disorienting but nothing I can’t deal with lol

I stayed in the chatroom a little longer, conversing with the five of them easily. I was surprised how easily they acclimatised to my joining. While clearly still wary, they all attempted to break the ice and welcome me in their own ways.

After showering I fell backwards onto the bed, making a face at the ceiling.

… I needed to get a laptop. While not impossible, it would be significantly more difficult to compile information and generate a list of possible locations on my phone. With how often my phone tended to autocorrect at the worst times and how temperamental the touch screen was, I really wanted something with a physical keyboard. The motel had free wifi, anyway, so I figured I could capitalise off of that.

_… Would hotspots work?_ I wondered, glancing at my phone. _I’ll test it out when I get another device._

The biggest thing on my list of priorities remained locating the Magenta, though. In broad terms, “dealing” with Mint Eye meant all of RFA’s problems would be solved, at least for the time being. After that… Until other obvious issues popped up, next in priority would be continuing to earn cash so I could have the privilege of living.

_Work. Cash. Laptop. Magenta._ Not specifically in that order, due to overlap—I’d keep working for payment under the table until I had to relocate, at least.

I looked at the digital clock resting on the nightstand, red numbers blinking accusingly at me.

Well… It was something for tomorrow.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> if anyone reads this i wonder if they will catch the rly blatant orv references i make lol..alternate titles were:  
> Of Red Variants  
> Officially Red’s Vcity Now  
> Otitle Rgoes Vhere  
> i was Real Close to naming this “of red variants.” i have no control, it’s only b/c “worship false idols” acronym can also be “what fucking idiots” that i didn’t go straight for orv acronym. i owe my life to exocara for giving this series an actual name (and also making me laugh w the orv references too)


End file.
